Elderberry gummies – kid approved remedy for colds and flus

Elderberries have many health benefits. One particular thing I love about elderberries are their flu and cold figthing properties. I’ve been so unfortunate this fall and winter that I’ve already been down sick 3 times with some insistent colds (normaly I’m rarely sick, but fulltime breastfeeding and dealing with a newborn seems to do something to my body). That’s why I’ve decide to prioritize my time this year to actually make a bunch of elderberry syrup to try and keep those colds away. So far it’s seems to be working (knock on wood) – and not just for me. Eva’s finally had a long(ish) stretch of time without a runny nose! Succes!

The syrup tastes good on it’s own . It has a very destinct taste and smell, but I like it and so does Eva. But despite her liking the taste it’s still a mess to get her to drink it. She insists on putting it on a spoon because that’s what she’s seen me do. That’s why I decided to make the syrup into gummies instead. It is an extra step, but is so worth not having to deal with elderberry spots on her shirts. And I always make enough for myself and Ben, because to be honst, it just feels so much easier to grab a few gummies than having to deal with pouring a liquid onto a spoon.

I make my own elderberry syrup instead of bying it. It’s very easy, but takes a little while on the stove, but it’s worth the effort when you see the price tag on the store bought kind. Same goes for ready made gummies. It’s crazy how much you can save – especially if you have an elderberry tree in your garden!

You’ll need:

This recipe uses agar-agar instead of the more traditional gelatine. Agar-agar is a kind of algea that gets a jelly-like consistensy when boiled. It’s however not as jiggly and chewy as gelatine,but is more firm. If you want to use gelatine instead (which is of course not plantbased) I’ve read somewhere that you can swap it 1:1, but you might need to check up on that.

2 cups elderberry syrup (if you’re making your own syrup to make this, no need to use raw honey since you will need to boil it for a few minutes)

1,5 tablespoons agar agar (the powder, not the flakes)

moulds (I like to use mini gummibear molds, but a regular dish with some linning or greasing should do as well)

pot

whisk

spoon or similar to pour with

How to:

Add the elderberry syrup and the agar agar to the pot and bring it to a simmer on low heat. Make sure it’s not boiling over.

Whisk the mixture constantly for about 2 minutes. The agar agar will dissolve and the liquid will thicken.

Remove from heat and pour into molds. I used the gummy bear version which are quite small and therefore take extra time, but Eva likes them and I find it’s easier to vary the amount she gets – plus she can have “more” this way.

Put the molds in the fridge for a few hours or in the freezer for about 30 minutes until the gummies are firm.

Pop the gummies out of the molds and into a air tight container in the fridge. Eat a few a day as a prevention or more if you are feeling a cold coming.

Storage: Store the gummies in the fridge in an airtight container. I find that the can become a bit watery after a while, but it helps if you store them in some parchement paper. I’m not sure how long they’ll keep since they don’t contain any preservatives, but I would guess maybe 1-2 weeks. If you make way to many, just freeze them. Freeze them in silocone moulds for about an hour and then pop them out into a bag and they should be fine. I’ve only done this once, but it worked just fine.

Dosage: I’m not a doctor, herbalist or similar, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt. As a mean of prevention I grab a 3-4 gummies per day and give Eva about 2. If younger than 2 years old I would probably go with maybe just 1 (keep in mind that children under 1 should not be eating honey if you’re syrup contains this). I took the same dosis 3- 4 times a day when I was down with a cold and I will do the same with Eva (who is about 2½ years old).